Systems for sharing data between information processing apparatuses have been conventionally known. For example, a server discussed in PTL 1 stores update content of a database as an update history. The server transmits this update history to a client, thereby making data stored in the server and data stored in the client match with each other.
Further, PTL 2 discusses a synchronization system for transmitting content of data, which is updated after previous data synchronization between a server and a client, from the client to the server.
Furthermore, technologies for enabling a client device to search for a server present on a network have been conventionally known. PTL 3 discusses making a search for a device connected to a network. PTL 3 also discusses a device having both a client function and a server function.
In the system discussed in each of PTL 1 and PTL 2, the server is configured to manage setting information of a plurality of devices. In such a configuration, if the device searches for the server as discussed in PTL 3, the following problem may arise.
Assume that, as a result of the search for the server by the device, a plurality of servers is detected on the network, and the device enables an arbitrary one of the plurality of servers to manage the setting information. In this case, different servers may manage the setting information of each device. Therefore, uniform management of the setting information is prevented, which is the problem.
If the setting information is not uniformly managed, the management of the setting information may become complicated to increase the workload of the entire system, or inconsistency of the setting information stored in each device may readily occur.